Section 3: Citizen Journalists’ Contributions to Traditional Media
The $1 million question about citizen journalism is if it is ultimately good for news media. In this section, I would like to go beyond that seemingly charged question, and address how citizen journalism is useful for traditional news media. Rather than a substitute, citizen journalism has demonstrated it can be a complement to traditional journalism. While mainstream media have more resources to provide good quality content about a broad range of issues consistently, citizen journalism has the ability to delve into the specifics of any given situation. Its focus is hyperlocal news. This emphasis on detail and the reach citizen journalists can have is valuable to traditional media and journalists who serve an increasingly interconnected and complex audience. Now, in what circumstances is citizen journalism more helpful to mainstream media? In which steps of the news production can citizen journalists contribute more? The complementary relationship between these two types of journalism implies that one is best performing some tasks than the other. Therefore, in this section I will outline two of the ways in which citizen journalism and user generated content can facilitate—and enhance—mainstream coverage. I divided this section in two parts, one for each blooming area for citizen journalism collaboration. Here, I discuss citizen journalism's ability to provide breaking news, and in the next part I talk about citizen journalism contributions to high risk coverage. So, let's get started! Breaking news The times when reporters rushed out of newsrooms in the hope of getting a story “out there” first have passed to some extent. Today, by the time reporters leave their desks, thousands of photos, videos, and even short reports are likely to be circulating in real-time on social media sites. Journalists are now increasingly breaking already broken news. New media technologies, especially mobile devices, are making it harder for traditional media outlets to actually break the news. Therefore, this seems to be an area in which citizen’s input could be relevant to mainstream media. Legacy media like CNN, The New York Times and the BBC have already incorporated the management and vetting of UGC to their own news production processes. However, mainstream media are still cautious in their experiments with UGC. In its Innovation Report, The New York Times recognized that the new media landscape called for more collaboration with citizens who were both essential sources of information and important agents in the spread of news. The report reads as follows: “Our readers are perhaps our greatest untapped resource. Deepening our connection with them both online and offline is critical in a world where content so often reaches its broadest audience on the backs of other readers (…). This means the newsroom as a whole must take the reins in pursuing user-generated content, events and other forms of engagement in a way that reflects our standards and values.” Another notorious initiative that allowed citizens to collaborate with a mainstream media outlet is CNN iReport. The website allowed citizens to easily upload pictures, videos, and stories, which could be used in CNN's own stories. iReport is now going through a big transition that shifts the focus from the website to social media. However, iReport continues to be one of the most successful collaborative platforms showing the synergy between big media and citizen journalists. Go to the comments section below and let me—us—know about the initiatives of other mainstream media with UGC that I haven’t mentioned here. Approaches from U.S. media are fine, but if you find information about UGC content in media outlets from regions we know less about (i.e. Latin America, Asia, and Africa), SHARE it! It would be great to know about it.